Thanks for the horse benefit support

February 6, 2014

The staff at Terry Robards Wines & Spirits in Lake Placid wish to thank all those who helped to make the Taming the Wild Horse Benefit a success.

In all, $2,146.68 was raised for the cause, with $778.33 going to Crane Mountain Valley Horse Rescue Inc. of Westport, $364 going to Essex County for grain and hay, and a combined total of $1,004.35 going to the horse trainers: Diane Dodd, Nicky Frechette and Helene Watrous. These women generously give of their time, resources and expertise to work with the horses on a daily basis in order to prepare them for their forever homes. Special recognition also goes to Nancy VanWie and Eddie Mrozik, co-founders of Crane Mountain Valley Horse Rescue Inc., who have worked with Essex County since day one of the horse seizure from a Wing & a Prayer farm. To date, all but three of the 41 rescued animals have been adopted, with CMVHR overseeing the process and waiving adoption fees for the new owners.

Thanks go to Green Goddess Natural Market & Cafe for going above and beyond expectations with an delicious array of refreshments, Brown Dog Cafe & Wine Bar for an outstanding charcuterie platter, and Price Chopper and Hannaford for providing cheese and crackers. Thanks also to Scott Lushia of Southern Wines & Spirits for donating a case of Wild Horse Wine.

Two very special people - Holly Kostas of River Rock Salon and Donnon "DJ" O'Neill, DDS, of High Peaks Dental Care - deserve recognition for their overwhelming generosity. Holly purchased a bottle of 15-year Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon, which enabled Terry Robards Wines & Spirits to donate profits to the trainers, Essex County and CMVHR. Holly then regifted the bottle - along with a spa package certificate - to DJ O'Neill, who made a sizable contribution to the cause. It should be noted that DJ is an airplane pilot who runs rescue missions to save dogs. Thank you, Holly and DJ!

Thanks also to Paul Varga of WSLP radio, Andy Flynn of the Adirondack Daily Enterprise and Lake Placid News, and Naj Wikoff for attending the event and interviewing those who are working with the horses. Much appreciation to photographer Scott Mierop for donating his services at the event and to Barbara Smith and Kim Verstringhe for pouring wines. Recognition also goes to Bill and Diane Dodd for creating a slide show of before and after pictures of the animals - and to Judi's Computer Support for providing technical support. Finally, thanks to Helene Watrous and Nicky Frechette for making and showing filmed training sessions with the remaining unadopted horses.

We would like to express our heartfelt appreciation to everyone who made donations to the cause - because without you, this project would not have been a success! If you were unable to attend the event but still wish to donate, we will continue to accept contributions on behalf of the horse trainers until the remaining three animals are adopted. People may also visit the cmvhr.org website or the Facebook page of Nicky Frechette to learn more.